"There was a long period of time where I was out there trying to prove something to myself and to other people with my work, and to do that I had to basically reject my past. I began obsessing over everything, it gave me no life for 15 years. At some point you realize you've worked through that. You've proven something but it's not about rejecting your past anymore. And you can celebrate again." - Lindsey Buckingham

(spoken intro)
I've got to stop this obsession of revenge and fear
I've been running from everything I once held dear
And it feels so cold; it feels like sin
I've got to stop this obsession and start living again

This spoken introduction ties in directly to the above quote by Lindsey. He is speaking about how he was trying to prove himself, trying to be so perfect, that he forgot why he started working in the first place. He forgot about his past, his original love of music and most importantly, he forgot his family. He now has realized that he has to start living from within himself, and he remembers why he wanted to be in the music business in the first place. This spoken introduction is also a lot like another song from "Out Of The Cradle", "This is the Time." In this song he speaks of "revenge and fear" and about moving forward. These two songs could have been made into one, however Lindsey decided that "This is the Time" would serve a better purpose on it's own - showing him moving on in a personal sense while "Surrender the Rain" shows him moving on a musical sense.

The foolish pretender Lindsey speaks of is himself. He is the one who has been pretending all this time. He's been giving all of himself to other people's music and making music that wasn't freeing his own spirit. That somebody calling his name is that spirit, its his musical soul he was born with and that he had been ignoring for so many years. He knows its time to listen to it and make the music that's in his heart.

The rain, the rain?
The rain , the rain?

Rain is very cleansing. As Stevie says in "Dreams," " when the rain washes you clean you'll know.". May be the question marks that follows these words are saying he doesn't quite know if he's cleansed yet.

All those colors are changing
The chance won't come again
Foolish pretender, oh won't you surrender
The rain, the rain?
The rain, the rain?

The colors that are changing could be the four other members of Fleetwood Mac that he had worked so hard for. They were changing, but they weren't changing the same way he was. But they were changing in a way that made him realize that it was his chance to leave the band. Lindsey says he never regretted leaving the band. It's possible he did feel guilty leaving though. He knew he was the key part of their success . But he also knows once again, he needs to surrender to the rain - to let the guilt and uneasiness wash away.

Fly, fly away home
Fly, or you'll turn to stone
Oh you foolish pretender
Why do you remain?

Again, the lines "fly, fly away home" ties into the intro quote as Lindsey had forgotten about his family, how important his family is to him. After his father died, he delved into this music, this band Fleetwood Mac and never looked back until now. He doesn't want to become that "set machinery" and he states all the time how he tried to avoid that. John Lennon had an interview and he was saying how when he called Paul McCartney to make another record ,and he held up his hand to his ear and said in a very monotone voice "its time to make another record" meaning that they had become this "set machinery". Lindsey didn't want that to happen. Tango in the Night was a good album, but he gave too much and the other members seemed to have given less. Stevie was said to only have been there 10 days. He was tired of making music for them and not for himself.

Oh you foolish pretender
Why do you remain?
Foolish pretender oh wont you surrender
The rain, the rain?
The rain, the rain?

Now he’s looking at himself and he’s ready to move on, he's ready to make his music.

Silence of stone
Memory of shame
Fly away home

"Or you'll turn to stone" and "silence of stone" both tie in together. Stones are silent and cold. It seems to be his biggest fear that he was turning into that silent stone. "Memory of shame" - Lindsey feels ashamed at his past, the things that he did, the things that he said. Most of all, "fly away home," he's ashamed about his "losing" his family during all of this.

Surrender the rein
Surrender the reign
Surrender the rain

The first rein--is stop holding on to the past and what he did wrong, he's accomplished this to himself, but now its time to let it go. The reign, it means he’s no longer in charge of this very successful group of Fleetwood Mac, he’s got to start from scratch and do his own music for himself. The rain, well— he’s got to be cleansed, and you see no question mark. He now knows he can be cleansed, after he lets go and deals with this-- he will be free.

This song could have been called "Surrender to the Rain." It's about letting go of his past, and becoming a new man. On The Dance concert performance, he states he isn’t the same man he was then, speaking of the time before he left Fleetwood Mac. It was the best thing he ever did, leaving that band and going on his own. He faced his deceased father, he faced his fears and most importantly, he faced himself. He came out liking who he was, liking his music and finding comfort with the death and remembrance of his father. Richard Dashut, one of Lindsey closest and oldest friends helped Lindsey write this song. I think that Lindsey had all the original ideas, but Richard gave him some of the words. Lindsey said writing was the hardest thing for him, and I think Richard was around to help him in that aspect.

Surrender to the rain, it will cleanse you and make you new. It happens once in a lifetime, but when it does, "you'll know...you will know."